Building the Diamondbacks Culture has been More Art than Science

Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo had a vision from the beginning for the type of ballclub and organization they wanted

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen talks to manager Torey Lovullo during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale on Feb. 17, 2023. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Diamondbacks have rolled out franchise record payrolls the last couple of years, much to the credit of Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick. Capitalizing on increased revenues from a World Series appearance in 2023 and increased attendance in 2024, the team has plowed those windfalls back into the roster.

Make no mistake about it, however, the foundation of the Diamondbacks has been and remains building from within. With 22 "homegrown" players on the 40-man roster (players acquired by either draft or international amateur free agent signings), Arizona is one of only four teams with over 50% homegrown roster. This according to Ethan Hullihen on X.

With a little bit of free time here in a dead period, been working on this, with hopes of finishing before the season starts:

Obviously, a breakdown of how 40-man rosters were acquired, with a further breakdown of "homegrown" players. pic.twitter.com/SM3r6Qj0Kp

— Ethan Hullihen (@EthanHullihen) February 24, 2025

Diamondbacks' Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Hazen insists it's not intentional, and that they're just trying to put the best team on the field. But the benefits to the organization to achieve these types of results are multifaceted.

That's not to say the team doesn't also try to go out an acquire skillsets that may not be readily available from within. Sometimes you need a player that can just go out and "bang the ball" as Hazen put it.

"You know you're never going to have a fully internal team because A, you want to add talent from outside the organization and B, I think you're not always going to have the absolute best player in every single position inside of here." Hazen said.

Still, the elephant in the room remains that no matter how much ownership is willing to invest, it will always pale in comparison to what division rivals Los Angeles Dodgers, can afford to spend. Developing home grown talent will always be a priority for the D-backs.

"I do think it helps from a long-term standpoint of development, culture, and what we're trying to do on the field with these guys, grow up with our coaches that are training under Torey and the coaching staff to then bring that style of play up to the major leagues."

The D-backs emphasize defense, baserunning, versatility, and the ability to grind out at-bats. This is the style of play that Torey Lovullo is trying to achieve. It's far easier to identify players that fit this mold internally.

"Obviously you're always trying to go get guys externally that have the same skillsets. It's not as easy because you just don't know. You don't know all the little ins and outs when you're making transactions. We try the best we can to do it and have that understanding, but it's not as simple where we know our minor league players. We can ask our farm director or coaches. So I think it helps."

This approach also helps lend consistency, not just year over year, but over multiple years. Not only in consistency on the field, but also in building a culture. This is an area that the D-backs are known to be especially adept at.

The type of culture the team has built and continues to build is one of connectedness and self sacrifice for the good of the team. Hard work, attention to detail, and above all a desire to win are the qualities that Hazen and Lovullo strive to achieve.

As Hazen said, it's "more of an art than a science in a lot of ways, but we work hard at it. We think it's important."

Lovullo echoed these sentiments, and ephasized this approach was one that he and Hazen talked about years ago, from the very beginning, when they first joined the Diamondbacks organization.

"You could see what happened when our homegrown talent was developed and touched a lot of the coaches that got them ready for this moment." Lovullo said. "We started to take off, and I think it happened at the tail end of 22."

While they can never know for sure which players will hit and respond to their approach, when it does gel together, it's very powerful, as we've seen in the recent past.

When you hear and see player after player coming into the Arizona Diamondbacks give testimony to the genuine nature of the clubhouse culture that has been built, it's evident the hard work is paying off. Lovullo finished his thoughts with this:

"When they step into our scene here, they fit in, and they welcome those from the outside. Once that group of players like Corbin Carroll and Jake and Alec get to be that five, six-year veteran, that to me is when it gets even more powerful."

Related Content:

Ryan Thompson Reveals Kenny Dillingham's Message to D-backs

Diamondbacks Team Chemistry a Synergetic Force